Life Goes On
by ladyanaconda
Summary: Months after Aimé's death, Marigold is a few days overdue in her pregnancy. However, the babies decide to come at a rather... unexpected moment. Xibalba and Juan are trapped in the former's library, the Sánchezes panic, and Zipacna and La Muerte must help her get to Aztlan before it happens. Mini-fic, ToDaJ universe.
1. Chapter 1

La Muerte and Xibalba returned a week later, more in love than ever, but much to Xibalba's dismay, his castle was a complete mess, accidental courtesy of Zipacna. La Muerte soon resumed her duties as Queen of the Land of the Remembered, much to her own surprise some of the changes Xibalba had mage were beneficial for the realm, so there were few things she changed back to the way they were. Still, she reserved time to spend with her daughter so they could make up for all the lost time, and getting to know Juan Carlos.

The Sánchez family in the Land of the Living soon got a new member, a baby boy named Pedro. Marigold and Juan Carlos attended the party thrown to celebrate the little one's birth, accompanied by La Muerte and a reluctant Xibalba, who was practically forced to go by his wife, but he didn't protest at all; so happy he was at his wife's return he even missed her ordering him around at times.

However, La Muerte noticed Xibalba seemed to have a sort of… aversion towards Hugo, to put it lightly. He rarely went to check on him or held him, and when he did he became all stiff and stressed, which made Hugo cry, and she had to take him back from his father. She partly understood why Xibalba didn't bond with Hugo as easily as he had done with Marigold, but that didn't justify that he tried to avoid him as if he were a plague.

However, everyone's attention was centered on Marigold as her pregnancy advanced smoothly through the last trimester. Xibalba and La Muerte had to make a few modifications to the nursery, adding an extra crib, though they left the color untouched. Marigold, meanwhile, had to stay most of the time on bed due to some minor cramps she had been having these days. Especially now that she was a few days overdue…

* * *

"AAAAAAH!"

The lights in the castle turned on as a sudden scream of pain echoed through the halls. "EVERYONE! WAKE UP!"

"What in tarnation…?"

"IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

"WAAAAAH!"

"Calm down, Zipacna! Marigold just entered labor!"

"THAT DIDN'T SCARE ME, _CHAMACO_! YOU'RE _NAKED_!"

Juan Carlos snapped his fingers to make pants appear on him, and rushed towards the kitchen, followed by a drowsy Zipacna and a panicking Xibalba. Some maids were already preparing bowls of water in a hurry, while others were fetching as many towels as they could.

"Hurry up, all of you!" Xibalba snapped. "You know how it goes! Boil water, get towels, and panic!"

"Panic?! I'm the one who should be panicking! I'm the father!" Juan Carlos snapped.

"And I'm the grandfather!"

"Knock it off, you two!" Adelita snapped, picking up a bunch of towels. "This is not the time for your bickering! There are two babies coming on the way!"

"Another set of twins on the family, eh, sis?" Scardelita giggled.

"Keep you comments to yourself, you two!" Xibalba snapped.

" _Hermanito_ , I know you and Juan Carlos are freaking out, but don't snap at such lovely ladies!" Zipacna retorted.

When another scream echoed in the castle, the three gods rushed towards the room Marigold was in, followed by the maids and the rest of the Sánchez family, Carmelo running into Jorge on one of the turns. Juan Carlos burst the door open again. "Marigold, we'll call the doc…"

Much to his confusion, Marigold was on bed, La Muerte and Carmen by her side, the former stroking her daughter's hair gently, while the latter was placing a cup of hot tea. The two older women looked at the tense crowd who had gathered expectant at the doors calmly.

La Muerte spoke. "It was a false alarm."

Collective sighs of relief and frustration were released, and a few others fainted out of exhaustion from having been brought out of bed so suddenly. Even Zipacna fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"Just a _really_ strong and painful kick…" Marigold sighed, rubbing her large stomach. "I'm glad I didn't wake Hugo up…"

"All that matters is that the three of you are alright…" Juan Carlos smiled, heading over to bed and sitting on the edge, holding his wife's hand with a smile.

"Ha, Sánchez to the core! Make you think they're coming, only to surprise you when you least expect it!" Carlos laughed.

"Repeat that and I'll feed you to my hounds…" Xibalba growled at him, only to receive a mild glare from La Muerte and his daughter. "Well, I'll bring you something to eat, sweetie." He walked out, leading the onlookers away with dismissive waves of his hands, closing the doors behind him.

"I still don't understand what he has against my family…."

"Your father outwit him in a wager, and he's still sore about it." La Muerte sighed.

"He's a sore loser of sorts." Carmen added. "But honorable, I have to admit. He did keep his end of the deal that time."

"Balby is not that bad, sometimes he just needs to be reminded of that."

"Juan, you and Papá are going down to the Land of the Forgotten, right?" Marigold inquired.

Juan Carlos nodded. "For a few days, he says I gotta get used to it if I'm going to have to be in charge someday… Though I have the feeling he'll lock me in the Pit if I do something wrong."

"You don't have to worry about anything, _niña_ …" Carmen smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll take care of you while Juan is away."

La Muerte brushed a hair away from her daughter's face gently. "You just relax, honey. We'll be here for you as long as you need us…"

* * *

 **A few days later…**

* * *

Luis climbed down the stairs of the castle and into the throne room for the fifth time, panting heavily. "Man, _la niña_ Marigold is sure sensitive."

"Don't mention it, when I took up the pancakes she said she didn't want maple honey, she wanted royal jelly." Jorge added.

The rest of the Sánchez family, and a few others, had to agree. Carmen crossed her arms at them. "For goodness sake, all of you! Stop acting like babies! It's not easy for Marigold! It's the last term and she's already a few days overdue!"

"Makes me remember when you were pregnant with Manolo and I'd have to go to nearby towns sometimes to obtain your cravings…" Carlos chuckled.

"Well, she's a goddess, perhaps it works out differently in them."

"Come on! We were all present when La Muerte was pregnant, that time she had a normal pregnancy!" Adelita stated matter-of-factly. A bell started to ring through the castle, and a few spirits let out sighs of exasperation, the male members of the Sánchez family among them.

"Good idea giving her a _bell_ , Carmelo!" Jorge snapped at the larger skeleton.

"Thanks." He simple shrugged, making Jorge roll his eyes.

"When is Juan coming back?"

"Well, it's been a few days, maybe Xibalba is making him clean his castle like a maid." Adelita commented.

"I'm worried about Hugo." Carmen sighed. "La Muerte had Xibalba take him along, but anyone can tell Xibalba has a bit of… well, animosity for him."

"Considering he was tricked into conceiving him by a madwoman who made him think his wife was dead and tried to kill his daughter and grandchildren, it's a bit reasonable." Scardelita replied.

"But that doesn't change the fact that baby is still _his_ son."

"Maybe, but his son is a constant reminder that had a child with a woman he loathed." Luis stated.

Carmen decided to change the topic and talk about more important things. "Anyway, everyone knows what we'll do when _it_ happens?"

The _toreros_ groaned. " _Mi amor_ , we've rehearsed _that_ hundreds of times!" Carlos stated.

"It's better to be prepared. Go to your places."

Reluctantly, the male members went to their designated places.

"Okay, at any moment, Marigold and La Muerte will come down and say 'it's time'. We'll need to have a carriage prepared since she'll give birth in the Realm of the Gods on her request. They'll need help to get to the carriage, and carry the luggage to it."

Carmelo picked up the large, already-packed suitcases and headed to the door, while Carlos and Luis picked god-sized colorful shawls and took them all the way to the doorway, while Jorge and a few other servants left the room, simulating they were going to tell the stable hands to ready the carriage.

Carmen nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, remember, the most important thing of all, we all have to keep our heads cool."

Just then, Marigold peeked her head from the doorway. "Guys, hasn't anyone heard my bell?" She blushed. "Sorry if I have been a bit picky these days, I guess eating for three really has gotten to me. Mamá said she'll be taking care of me so you can take a break, so if you want to go for a few hours…" She hadn't finished talking when all the male members of the Sánchez family had already ran off. "…You can go."

Anita shook her head. "Ignore them, _niña_. men have no idea of what it's like to eat for two, let alone three."

"I know, but I can't help but feel a bit guilty…" Marigold sighed, leaning against the wall. "I've been a bit demanding these days…"

"It's normal, Marigold. You're a few days overdue and you have to take good care of yourself and the babies, believe me, I know it's not easy." Carmen smiled at her. "Everything will be alright, you'll see."

* * *

Xibalba was _not_ happy.

Zipacna had made a complete mess on his castle the time he was away. The throne room, the library, the mess hall, heck, even his own bedroom was a complete disaster. It had taken them two months to put everything back the way it was, but the library was still a little way more to go before being restored to is former glory. But that was not the only thing irritating him at the moment.

First thing, Juan Carlos wasn't accommodating the books in the order he was told.

And secondly, Emilio and the others were _too busy_ to babysit Hugo while he and the kid fixed things up.

"Boy, I told you to classify it by alphabetical order!" he snapped a Juan Carlos as the younger god continued to stack the books in the shelves.

Juan Carlos groaned, and his wings flapped lightly reflexively. "You said by _category_ an hour ago!"

"I said by category in alphabetical order!"

"You didn't!"

Hugo just watched the entire scene from his little basket, giggling at his father's misery. Xibalba felt almost like Aimé was laughing at him, but he quickly shook the thought off his head. He had to remember this was not Aimé, this was Hugo, his _son_ … But he couldn't help but flinch at the reminder.

"I think he is mocking at us." Juan Carlos commented.

Xibalba rolled his eyes. "He's a baby, he doesn't know what we're even arguing about."

"Couldn't this have waited until the babies are born?!"

"You think I wanted to spend a three days here accommodating books instead of being with my daughter for one of the most beautiful moments in her life?!"

"Then why was it so urgent to accommodate this?!"

"I left for a week with my wife without a previous notification! The only replacement available at that time was my brother, and he's not precisely known for being as organized as I am! Heck, I don't even know how in tarnation he messed my library like this if he doesn't even like to read!" He was interrupted when Hugo started to sob and shift in the basket. Oh, great.

"Xibalba, the baby is-"

"Boy, I raised a daughter alone for fifteen years, okay? I can tell when they want to eat or have a diaper changed."

Juan Carlos noticed he was still steps away from the sofa where Hugo's basket was, and hadn't moved an inch closer to it. "Well, then, you can go tend to him. I'll keep stacking books by category _and_ alphabetical order." He turned around and continued to stack the tomes, but was subtly glancing back at Xibalba and see what she was doing. Xibalba reluctantly walked closer to the cradle and picked Hugo, who by then had started to wail, in his arms. He was stiff as he held the little one in his arms.

"There, there, it's okay…" even his voice sounded stiff. "Shhh… I'm here…" Soon, he recognized the type of wailing. "You're hungry? Well, let's go to the kitchen to find something yummy for you okay…?" And thankfully now Regina or Emilio would be able to look after him for a while. However, when he wanted to turned the knob, he realized it was stuck. "What the…?"

"What's wrong?" Juan Carlos inquired, looking back at his father-in-law.

Xibalba tried to turn the knob again, but it remained stuck. He tried more strongly this time, but it was futile. " _Maldita sea_! The door got stuck! EMILIO!" He yelled, starting to rock Hugo in his other arm in an attempt to calm him down.

"Why don't we teleport out of here?!"

"The library is magic-proof! We can't use any sort of magic here!"

"What were you thinking on that?!"

"Hey, I didn't build the castle, boy! I doubt my father built it even! This castle has been here long before I was born!"

Juan Carlos muttered. "Must have been a _very_ long time…"

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing!" Juan Carlos stood up and ran to the door, trying and failing to turn the knob or open the doors. " _Dios santo_! When was the last time you had the hinges oiled?!"

"I don't remember… Maybe two hundred years ago… EMILIO! SOMEONE!"

"Let me guess, it's sound-proof too?" That would make sense; it's a _library_ , after all.

"Judging by the time my servants are taking to come here when they usually take about ten seconds to go to my location after I call them, I guess it is to some extent."

"Wonderful, so we're trapped here till Emilio or Regina come to ask us if we're hungry?"

"Unless we can break it down. But don't even think about it, boy!"

"I guess we'll have to wait…" Juan Carlos covered his ears when Hugo continued to cry. "Don't you have his formula in the _pañalera_?!"

Xibalba headed back to the sofa to search into the blue diaper bag to see if he had any clean bottles left. "There is one, but I'll need your help in this one, boy. You might as well start learning how to make the formula for my grandchildren."

Juan Carlos had the feeling it was another excuse so he'd have another tend to Hugo's needs, but chose not to say anything for the time being.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite her abdomen being very large, Marigold could still move around with little difficulty, although her wings sometimes felt heavier and her mother had to help her stand up from bed or any seats. She was starting to worry, the babies should have already come, but she was a week overdue already.

"Where did I leave my bell?" she asked to no one particularly as she looked inside drawers and in the balcony. She was sure she had left it around here somewhere. Just then, La Muerte entered the bedroom with a cup of tea.

"Honey, I brought you some tea."

"Thanks, mamá…" Marigold finally gave up, and sat down in the balcony. "I can't find my bell, I'm pretty sure I left it around here…"

La Muerte had the feeling Zipacna was behind this, but chose not to say anything about as she sat down next to her daughter, placing the cup on the table. "Surely it'll appear later, honey.

"Say, mamá. How did you feel when you were pregnant with me?"

"I was the happiest woman in the world, I was very excited everytime I felt your little kicks." La Muerte smiled, grabbing her daughter's hand tenderly. "I couldn't wait for the moment till I could hold you in my arms and see you for the first time…" Her smile faltered momentarily when she recalled all the things her sister had taken away from her, but quickly shook the thought off her head. Now was not the time for bitterness.

"Mamá, can I ask you something…?"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Well… Tía Aimé said something about you and papá having another child, and that she poisoned you so that you…"

At that, La Muerte's smiled vanished as the wound in her heart reopened. It never scarred at all; a mother would never forget the pain of losing a child. "It happened centuries before you were born, long before your father and I made that wager on San Ángel. I was expecting a baby, our first child… We were so happy…" La Muerte's eyes were swelling up with tears as she took her hands to her abdomen. "But I went into labor a few weeks before due, and the baby… He was a stillborn." At that, she had started sobbing, taking her hand to her lips. "I never thought Aimé had been behind it… I couldn't have even imagined…"

Marigold pulled her closer into a hug, her own eyes swelling up with tears. She couldn't even think about it, she had lost a brother that she never knew about, her parents had lost a son. But she couldn't blame her father for never telling her, it she didn't want to imagine how it felt like to lose a child. She had a distant memory of going into her father's study as a child and finding some things in one of his drawers, then him yelling at her when he caught her in the act. She now understood why.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt wetness between her legs, and a bit of pressure in her abdomen. "M-Mamá…?"

La Muerte pulled back from the embrace and both looked down at Marigold's dress to find amniotic liquid staining the yellow fabric.

" _Dios santo_ …!" La Muerte gasped and took Marigold's hand. "Marigold, we have to get you to Aztlan!"

"OK…!" With her mother's help, Marigold managed to stand up and the goddesses walked out of the room, Marigold gave deep, calm breaths like she had been taught to do. By the time they were reaching the throne room, Carmen had just made the rest of the Sánchezes rehearse the scenario for the twentieth time that day. La Muerte opened the door and helped her daughter inside.

Marigold was the one who spoke. "Everyone, this is it."

As soon as she finished the sentence, everything broke into chaos as the panic overwhelmed them. Carlos and Luis bumped into each other (the latter's head separating from his body again), Jorge and Carmelo started to snatch a sheet of paper from each other while bickering over Carmelo's unreadable calligraphy, and a few other servants fought to carry the luggage, even accidentally opening the suitcase and letting all its contents spill. Carmen smacked her forehead in dismay, while Anita only sighed while shaking her head.

Men.

* * *

They had managed to lull Hugo to go to sleep after giving him the bottle, and Xibalba placed him back in the basket, but they were still stuck inside the library. Juan Carlos took a look at the hinges and confirmed his suspicions that they were very rusty and hadn't been oiled in a long time. Xibalba muttered under his breath as he attempted to remove the hinges, but it was no use.

"How long till your servants come to ask us if we want to eat?" Juan Carlos inquired

"In about an hour or so." Xibalba sighed in dismay. "Great, I'm stuck in my own library with _you_ and the son of the woman who nearly took everything from me…"

"Aren't you forgetting that Hugo is _your_ son too?"

"I don't need you to remind me of that!"

"Look, I didn't now Aimé that much as you did, but don't you think you're taking it too far?"

"You're right, you _didn't_ know Aimé as much as I did." Xibalba growled.

"The baby's not to blame for his mother's mistakes! Besides, La Muerte loves Hugo like he were her own! Isn't it enough for you that your wife doesn't mind what happened between you and Aimé?"

"She doesn't, but I do! I can't just… How does everyone expect me to love Hugo when he reminds me of Aimé's trickery and lies everytime I see him?!"

Juan Carlos crossed his arms. "What about Marigold? Judging by what the Candlemaker told me, you didn't like her at first either because you blamed her for La Muerte 'dying', and look at you now, you'd die for her if it were necessary, and it nearly happened."

Xibalba looked away. "It was… different."

"In what sense?"

"Marigold was conceived with the woman I loved because we both wished it, and I was reminded of that. Hugo was another story."

"I know you didn't plan him, but Marigold wasn't planned either." Juan Carlos stated. "Hugo may have not conceived with your wife, but your wife loves him. Isn't that enough for you?"

Before Xibalba could reply, suddenly there was a whining and scratching sound in the door. Immediately both gods rushed to it. "Emilio, is that you?!" the dark god inquired, only to hear a small whine in reply. "Oh, Garra."

"Hey, how do you know which is which? I can't tell them apart…" Juan Carlos stated.

"I've been with them my whole life, boy." Xibalba tried and failed to open the door again. "What is it, Garra?"

The dog slid something from under the door, and Juan Carlos picked it up. It was a piece of paper with something scribbled, but it looked all forced and messy, he it was almost illegible. "It's a letter, and judging by the calligraphy I can tell Carmelo wrote it…"

"Well, what does it say?!" Xibalba snapped. If it came from the Land of the Remembered, it meant something must have happened.

Juan Carlos managed to read some words in the paper. "Marigold… La Muerte… enter labor-" At the word labor, realization hit him hard. " _Santo cielo_! Marigold's water broke!"

"Her what?!" Xibalba snatched the paper from his son-in-law and took a look at the messy calligraphy. His eyes widened in horror when he managed to read the content of the letter, panicking almost instantly. "My baby is going to have her babies!"

"EMILIO! SOMEONE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Juan Carlos was crying out as he pounded on the door desperately. "I'M GOING TO HAVE TWO BABIES!"

"Boy, they aren't going to hear you!" Xibalba growled, glancing at Hugo as the little one started to stir awake from all the yelling. "You'll wake Hugo up!"

"SOMEONE PLEASE OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

"My servants aren't going to hear you unless they pass by!"

"Is your library isolated or something?!"

By then, Hugo had started to wail. Xibalba groaned in frustration as he went to the cradle to pick him up, and bounced him gently as he retorted. "Firstly, they must be very busy with their chores if they haven't come yet! You haven't seen how Zipacna left the kitchen! As for your actual question, the door if stuck, in case you haven't noticed!"

"That's the problem! The hinges are very rusty!"

"And whose fault is it that we are actually in this situation?!"

"Well, it's _your_ castle!"

Xibalba scoffed, incensed. "Oh, yeah? Why don't you start critiquing my décor now that you're on it?!"

Juan Carlos groaned in frustration. "Marigold is about to give birth, instead of bickering and putting the blame unto each other we should be trying to find a way out!"

"If only I could…" Xibalba was becoming irritated by Hugo's nonstop wails. He took a rattle out of the _pañalera_ and shook it on top of him, momentarily calming him down as the baby reached out for it. "There, there…" he whispered rather reluctantly.

"Why don't we teleport?!"

"Ever since the recent events, La Muerte put a protection spell on her castle. And it's not recommendable to teleport with a newborn baby." Another thing he resented Hugo for.

"You have to be kidding me! Can we at least teleport out of the library?!"

"No, the room won't allow us to! What did I just say about the room being magic-proof?!" Xibalba thought for a moment. Some rooms of his castle were magic-proof, that was right, but one thing all the rooms had in common was that each one had a secret passage…

"Seriously?!" Juan Carlos groaned again, taking his hands to his head in desperation. "You're a death God! You're supposed to be all powerful and you can't teleport us out of your own library?!"

At that, the dark god glared at Juan Carlos. "You can't blame me for this! I didn't build the castle nor did I put the spells!"

"But you live here!"

"Argh! I don't have time for this! Just help me find a book!"

"Oh, good time to read! Don't you want your cup of tea too?!"

At that, Xibalba pulled his newborn closer as he flared out his wings, hissing in fury as his teeth grew sharp. "I'm trying to get us out of here, boy!" he growled in an almost inhuman voice. When Hugo sobbed again, he lowered his volume. "It's a secret passage."

"Secret passage?"

"Unfortunately, I only saw it once when my… father passed through it once."

Juan Carlos tensed a bit at the mention of Xibalba's father. Xibalba had never talked about him at all, except that time when Asclepius inquired about his father when he was treating Marigold. "Your father?"

"Yes. He…" Xibalba felt uncomfortable in talking about his father. "He had a book that opened the passage, but I can't remember which book it was…"

" _Maldición_ , why couldn't he have used a lever that said 'here's the passage, don't use it to scare the heck out of people?! I'm going to miss my children's birth!"

"You think this doesn't mean as much to me as well?!" Xibalba snapped back, growling. " _Maldito dragón_!" He noticed Hugo had stopped whimpering, and was reaching out his hands towards a particular book in a nearby shelf. It was black, and it didn't look different from the rest, but little Hugo still reached out for it as if it were a treasure. Warily, Xibalba approached the shelf and pulled the book out of the shelf, jumping back in surprise when the shelf suddenly moved to a side, revealing a long, dark passage behind it. Staring at the book in shock, he noticed it had a dragon on the cover. Of course, it couldn't have been more obvious...

"Thank heaven!" Juan Carlos quickly ran towards the passage, but as he was about to bolt inside his father-in-law stopped him with his wing. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"I don't know where _this_ passage leads." Xibalba warned. "It might lead to another dead end, or worse." He didn't want to end up going into his father's room.

"Well, it's better to find out than to remain stuck here, isn't it?" Juan Carlos took notice of something as his father-in-law stared at the pitch-dark tunnel. "Are you afraid?"

"Me?" Xibalba rolled his eyes, trying to sound sure of himself. "Of course not! I just don't know where we might end up…"

"You're trembling."

"No I'm not! Do you want to get to Marigold or not?!"

"I do!"

"Then shut up and let's get moving!"

"I'm just worried about you!" Juan Carlos blurted out, shivering when Xibalba raised an eyebrow at him. "As incredible as it sounds."

Xibalba frowned. "There's no reason to. Let's go." But as they were about to go into the passage, Hugo started to whimper and wiggle in his father's embrace, frightened by the inky dark blackness in front of them. When Xibalba tried to step into the tunnel, Hugo started to wail at full volume, confirming their suspicions. "Wonderful, what now?" Xibalba muttered as he tried to soothe his son down.

"He is afraid of the dark." Juan Carlos pointed out. "Cristina was afraid of it when she was a baby."

"So what?"

"Well, mamá used to sing to her and keep Cristina's gaze on her to make her feel safe. Just saying we don't lose anything in trying."

Irritated, Xibalba headed over to the basket and grabbed the blanket to swaddle Hugo in it, then rocked him back and forth in his arms. "Shhh… There, there, it's okay, _mijo_." He hung the _pañalera_ on his shoulder with some difficulty, while motioning Juan Carlos to carry the basket. "I'm here…" As they went back towards the passage, Hugo whimpered at the sight of the blackness ahead once again. "Sh-sh-sh. Look at me, little one." Xibalba stroked his son's cheek and carefully turned his little head so that his blue skull eyes stared into his own red ones. "Look at me, _mijito_. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."

Juan Carlos never imagined he'd see his father-in-law acting like that with someone other than his wife and daughter. Xibalba himself was surprised at how the tension had disappeared, and his chest felt warm when Hugo ceased crying and snuggled his little face against it, cooing. He remembered when he once held his little Marigold just like this for the first time, and slowly the resentment started to receded. He couldn't contain a small smile. Half-covering Hugo's face in the blankets to keep his sight on him, Xibalba walked forward, followed by Juan Carlos.

Seeing a nearby torch, Juan Carlos lit it with a small spark of fire and grabbed it with his free hand to illuminate their way as they talked through the darkness. The walls were gray and dull, and there were cobwebs in the ceiling, though thankfully there were no visible spiders. Juan Carlos felt a shiver run down his spine, and the hairs on his head bristling in discomfort. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"I don't know…" Xibalba admitted, his gaze sticking forward in signs of anything that could give a place. "I've never been here before."

"And we're walking down it."

"It's the only way to get out and reach Marigold in time."

"Do you even know if it has traps?"

"I doubt dear ol' dad bothered to put traps."

"What did your father do here, anyway? Scare the heck out of people?"

"Perhaps… this might as well lead us to The Pit, but it's weird."

"The Pit? So technically we're going from the frying pan into the fire-?" Juan Carlos blinked. "Weird? What do you mean?"

"He almost never bothered to go to the library, I only saw him there once or twice…" Xibalba recalled the slight glance he caught that time, but discarded it quickly. "What were you saying?"

Juan Carlos rolled his eyes. "That we could be waling into your monster-filled dungeons!"

"For the thousandth time, I don't know!"

"You think there are worse things than Chakal down there?" Juan Carlos gulped at the nod he received in response. The darkness that now surrounded them completely, except for the small portion the torch illuminated, was giving him the creeps. "Damn, what was with your father and darkness?! Was he a vampire or something?!"

Xibalba was about to retort when he tripped on something that nearly made him fall forward, though thankfully he managed to keep his hold on Hugo long enough to keep him in his hold. Xibalba snatched the torch from Juan Carlos and held it over the thing; it was a step, and in a more detailed inspection he realized it was not only one, but dozens, all of them going upwards. They were wide enough for a dragon of his father's size to go up.

A staircase.

"Stairs? These can't lead to The Pit…" Xibalba muttered, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to get a better look at them.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Juan Carlos couldn't bear the dark, gloomy atmosphere anymore. " _Señor_ , no offense, but I think your father was nuts."

Much to his surprise, Xibalba dismissed the comment like it was nothing. "If you say so…" He himself was a bit afraid of this tunnel, and where it might lead. "If this led to The Pit the stairs would be going downwards…"

"I don't mean to intrude, but… Isn't the only location at the top of your… garden?"

Xibalba turned to Juan Carlos apprehensively. "How do you know about it?"

"Well… I haven't really seen it, but Marigold told me about it a while ago. She said it was especial to you…" the younger god gulped when Xibalba narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm just saying, why would your father go up there? From the way you and Zipacna talk about him, he didn't sound like the green-loving type, or the loving type at all…"

" _Love for who_? _He didn't have love for anything in general_ …" Xibalba thought bitterly.

As they walked up the stairs, Xibalba thought about the recent discoveries as he continued to lull Hugo to sleep. So Marigold had Juan Carlos him about the garden. He couldn't really blame her, the boy was her husband now, it was normal that she told him things previously unknown. But could it be? Could this dark passage actually lead to his mother's garden? And the boy's words made sense. Why would his father want to go there if he never liked flowers or plant life-anything, in general-? There were so many questions brewing up in his mind for the time being, but no one to answer them. It was not like he could ask his father, could he? He caught sight of something.

"Hold on, I think I see something…" But as he quickened his step, prompting his son-in-law to do the same, he stopped in his tracks when they came face-to-face with a dead-end. "What?!"

"You gotta be kidding me!" Juan Carlos couldn't believe they had walked down this creepy tunnel for nothing. "Now what?!

Xibalba didn't reply. This didn't make sense, this couldn't be a dead end. There must be something he was missing. Maybe there was a sort of lever, button or….

Spell…

Juan Carlos barely had tie to reach when Xibalba handed the torch over to him again, panicking as the dark god put it out with a wave of his had, surrounding them in the pitch blackness completely. " _S-Señor_?"

Xibalba accommodated Hugo in his left arm, and placed his other hand on the wall, closing his eyes as he muttered a spell-the very same spell he always used to open the entryway to the garden-in the God's Ancient Language. Juan Carlos jumped back when suddenly green swirls appeared on the wall, glowing a gentle green. "What's going on?!"

The wall slid to the side, and the gods had to shield their eyes from the sudden light. When their vision adjusted, Juan Carlos gasped at the sight. It was the most beautiful garden he had ever seen, there were flowers of all kinds surrounding a majestic jacaranda tree. However, what captivated him the most were the bushes of blue roses around them, this particular area of the garden had a black, swirly metal fence around it. These roses were very special, it seemed.

"Yup, the garden." He commented. "But why would he come here?"

"I don't know…" Xibalba admitted, but as he saw the blue roses a thought came to him.

"Are these blue roses?" the younger god inquired, staring at the flowers curiously. Supposedly, blue roses didn't exist naturally, or so he thought.

"They are."

"Authentic ones?"

"Yes."

"Not the white roses you put in blue ink and they become blue over time?"

Xibalba rolled his eyes at that comment. "Very funny. Of course not!"

"Sorry, but in the Land of the Living there aren't natural blue roses… Where did you get them, anyway?"

"I didn't…" Xibalba's tone grew forlorn and melancholic as he pulled Hugo closer, staring at the roses sadly. "My mother… planted them."

"Your mother… Marigold hasn't talked that much about her, Zipacna hasn't either."

"Yes…" Xibalba recalled they didn't have time to admire the scenery. "Speaking of mothers, shouldn't we hurry to another mother-to-be?!"

Juan Carlos yelped in horror when he realized they had already lost too much time. "Oh my god! MARIGOLD!"

"That's right, boy! Let's go!"

"Please tell me we _can_ get out of here!"

"Yes we can! Come on!"

As they were rushing out of the garden, Xibalba pulled Hugo closer to his chest as he glanced back at the secret passage when it closed itself once more. All this time, Akrinok had a passage that led here to the garden, but he didn't know why…. Anyway, there would be time for that later.

Right now, they had to get to Marigold.


	3. Chapter 3

Toci and Akhushtal received the news at the last minute. They prepared the birthing room for Marigold's arrival, with warmed up water, clean towels and midwives ready. All that was left was to wait for the pregnant goddess to arrive.

La Muerte helped Marigold climb out of the carriage, and helped her climb up the stairs to the main gate. Marigold breathed in and out, already starting to feel the pressure between her legs. Zipacna groaned in pain as he climbed out of the carriage seconds later, stretching out his stiff, sore fingers. "Ay…"

"Zipacna, stop exaggerating!" La Muerte growled at him.

"Exaggerating?! She nearly fractured my fingers-OUCH!"

"Ayay…" Marigold exhaled and took another breath, gripping her mother's hand at the small stinging sensation at her vagina. "Where are Juan and papá?!"

"They must be on their way, honey. Don't worry, everything will be okay."

As the servants brought the luggage inside, La Muerte led her daughter inside the main hall, where Xochiquétzal was already waiting for them. "How is she?!" the jaguar goddess asked in alarm. "The room is ready for you!"

"Have you seen Xibalba?!" La Muerte asked.

"The tar face? I think he lost the track of time again, we haven't seen him around-!" Before she could continue, Zipacna ran into the hall, panting heavily, but he looked like he wanted to burst out laughing, and did his best to contain it. "What's so funny, Zipacna?!"

Zipacna just pointed behind him, snickering. "Speak of the devil…!"

Much to the group's surprise, the Candlemaker and Camazok entered the room, each pushing wheelchairs into the main hall; the funny thing about it was that Xibalba and Juan Carlos were in the wheelchairs, pale and breathing heavily, almost like they were the ones about to give birth. Hugo was on his father's embrace, giggling at his father's expression.

"Why are you two like that?!" Marigold snapped, wincing a bit at a small contraction.

"Don't ask…" Juan Carlos whispered, panting and managing to stand up from the wheelchair. "What do we do?!"

"Okay, you and La Muerte take Marigold to the birthing room and help her get comfortable before she starts dilating!"

Xibalba immediately went back to his feet. "And what do I do?!"

"You stay here and don't get in the way, tar face!" Xochiquétzal rolled her eyes.

"I can do- wait, what?!"

Juan Carlos picked Marigold bridal style and took her down the hall, followed by La Muerte as the goddess continued to comfort her daughter, telling her it was going to be alright. Xochiquétzal stopped Xibalba before he could go after them.

"What are you doing, woman?!" he snapped at her.

"Didn't you hear? You stay _outside_! Only the husband can be present!"

"I'm her father! She needs me!"

"She's not the only one you have to worry about, you know." Xochiquétzal glanced down at Hugo, who clearly had no idea of what was going on. He simply suckled unto his finger as he squirmed in his father's embrace.

"She's right about that, you know…" the Candlemaker commented.

"On whose side are you?!"

"Xibalba, she'll be fine! If she could survive Víbora Colorada, Chakal _and_ Aimé, she can survive this!" Zipacna added., only to receive an elbowing from the Candlemaker

"You're not helping, man…!"

Xibalba could not believe it. His daughter was going to give birth and they wouldn't let him be there for her?! He had always been there for her! but unfortunately, they did have a point; someone had to look after Hugo. Reluctantly, Xibalba muttered, frowning. " _Fine_."

He stormed off down the hall he had watched his wife, daughter and son-in-law go. As he disappeared from sight, Camazok made a small comment. "Guys, don't you think we should place guards in case he tries to burst into the room?"

"Trust me, he is not that reckless." Zipacna shrugged. "He wouldn't do anything to distress Marigold right now, not even burst into the room. La Muerte would have his head."

"Besides, even if he did manage to get inside, all he would do is yell at the midwives and Toci." Xochiquétzal added. "In other words, he'll only get in the way."

It wasn't that hard to find the room his daughter had been taken to; he could hear the rushing footsteps, Marigold's panting and small yells of pain, and his wife's voice, as well as that of the boy. How he wished he could be there, but they had one point, he had to look after Hugo too. Xibalba walked to the next door, entering the room and closing the door behind him; if he couldn't be with Marigold physically, the least he could do was to be there in spirit.

It wasn't long before the screaming started.

Xibalba flinched everytime he heard his little Marigold, his baby girl, screaming. He had heard her scream before, but he had never heard her screaming in pain like this. It broke his heart. And it happened all so fast, he could only hear Marigold's screams with a broken heart. However, soon she wasn't the only one screaming. Hugo was frightened about the screaming coming from the next room, and was soon wailing at full volume. Xibalba sighed in dismay again.

"There, there, _mijito_ …!" he cooed as he rocked his son in his arms. "Sh-sh-sh. Don't worry, your big sis is having… Well, the stork is on its way with your… nephews, and she is very excited, so much she is yelling…" Hugo didn't understand what his father was saying, but he calmed down momentarily when his father spoke. Xibalba realized he'd have to keep talking to him. "Say… How have you been doing?"

Hugo gurgled as he suckled on his thumb.

"Sorry if I haven't been… Well, _fatherly_ , but… You know, with Marigold having the babies and… Well, your m-mother… Not La Muerte, I know you probably see her as your mami now, but…" Xibalba stopped himself. He couldn't bring himself to tell the little one how his _real_ mother had ruined his life numerous times. The baby didn't deserve it. "Anyway, that's not important. What matters is that we stick close, ok?"

Xibalba had to admit, Hugo did have his skull pupils, though in a contrasting shade of blue, and his little features already showed signs that he would have the shape of his head, and tiny dark blue stubs peeked from the blankets. Wings, just like his and Marigold's. Soon, Hugo got bored of suckling on his fingers and started to gently pull on his father's beard, smiling at the ticklish sensation.

Xibalba smiled warmly at his son, somehow remembering when Marigold was a baby. He couldn't help it. He started tickling his son's chin, making him giggle as Hugo reached out to grab his finger.

Perhaps this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Marigold was already dilated, but the baby was having trouble in coming out. The head was emerging, but something kept the baby stuck, Toci had the feeling the first baby had wings. Marigold screamed again, gripping Juan Carlos's hand and making him yell in pain as well. The midwives rushed around the room, changing the water and blankets, while La Muerte gently dabbed her daughter's forehead.

"Shouldn't the baby be out by now?!" Juan Carlos stated, staring at his wife's open legs nervously, before wincing again when Marigold gripped his hand.

"AYAYAY!" Marigold yelled, panting.

"Shhh…. It's okay, honey, it'll be over soon…" La Muerte cooed at her daughter, taking her hand.

"It hurts!"

"I know, _mi niña_ , but you must be strong."

"The baby's stuck, we'll have to change position!" Toci cried out.

"Change position?!" Juan Carlos repeated in confusion.

"In this case it'll be best that she is on the knee position!" Akhushtal suggested, before glancing at Juan Carlos. "Juanoctis, you have to help her sit on her knees! Marigold, you'll have to hold on his shoulders!"

"How is that going to help?!" Juan Carlos snapped.

"Gravity will do its job! Do it quick!"

With some difficulty, Juan Carlos and La Muerte lifted Marigold from the bed, and the former pulled her closer till she was sitting on her knees, Marigold gripping on Juan Carlos's shoulders all the time. She instantly felt the pressure and the weight between her legs.

"At the count of three!" Toci said, placing her hands with a towel just under the vagina to receive the baby. "One, two three, push!"

Marigold let out another scream and her feathers bristled sharply as she felt something slipping slowly out of her, her nails piercing into Juan Carlos's shirt, making him bite his lip in an attempt to contain his own yell of pain.

"One more push and the first baby will be out! One, two, three, push!"

Another scream of pain and a sensation of something being gently but firmly pulled out later, Marigold heard a tiny wailing coming from behind her. She looked back and saw a wriggling small figure on Toci's arms, but another contraction came before she could ask to see her baby, making her scream again.

"He's a boy!" La Muerte cried out excitedly when she saw her grandson for the first time, and placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"C-Can I see him…?" Marigold managed to ask before screaming again.

"Not yet, you have another child to deliver." Akhushtal said gently, getting ready to receive the second child.

"AYAYAY!" she yelled again.

"One, two, three, push!"

Marigold continued to push when she was told, taking breaths in between the contractions, and gripping on Juan Carlos's shoulders, the tears of pain rolling down her cheeks. However, soon she forgot about it all when she heard a second cry from behind, and the pain turned into a soreness. She heard Juan Carlos whispering to her and kissing her forehead, she felt her mother's hand caressing her head.

"It's a girl."

Marigold relaxed momentarily, Juan Carlos helped her lie down on bed, and La Muerte dabbed away all the sweat and tears with a damp cloth. Soon after the placenta was expelled, and Toci and Akhushtal approached, each holding a small wiggling bundle. Marigold smiled tiredly as she was handed over the bundles, and stared down at her children with all the motherly love in the world.

The little boy had draconic traits to some extent. His head was like that of a little dragon, and there were tufts of red hair on his head, as well as a tiny pair of horns. The girl looked a bit more like Juan Carlos, with a more peachy tone of skin, bat ears and black hair with a small red streak. Both had tiny stubs sticking out of the blankets, the girl's were golden, the boy's were of the shame grayish purple as the rest of his skin.

"They're beautiful…" Marigold sighed dreamily.

"Just like you." Juan Carlos smiled as he kissed his wife's head and pulled her closer.

La Muerte's eyes were moistened with tears as well as she stared at her grandchildren with pride. Just then, she remembered there were other people waiting outside for news of the babies. She didn't need to say anything on the matter, however, before anyone could do anything about it the doors swung open, and Xibalba was the first to come inside with little Hugo in his embrace, followed by the Candlemaker, Zipacna and Camazok.

"Sweetie, are you okay?! Did it hurt?! Is everything alright-?!" Before Xibalba could continue, La Muerte had already teleported to his side and placed a finger on his lips.

"Be quiet, the babies are trying to sleep."

"Babies?" the Candlemaker chirped in delighted. "So they were two after all! Hehe! _Dos por uno_!"

"A boy and a girl." Toci nodded her head.

Xibalba smiled as he approached the bed where his baby was waiting, holding her own babies. Marigold looked up at her father with glossy, tired eyes. "They're your _nietos_ , papi."

Juan Carlos shifted aside to make space for his parents-in-law so they could enjoy the view. Zipacna and Camazok kept their distance, but nevertheless came close enough to take a look at the little ones. The babies had long fallen asleep, snuggling against their mother's chest.

"They're a cutie!" Zipacna chirped.

"How are you going to call them?" Camazok inquired.

"I was thinking Clara for the girl…" Marigold whispered tiredly, sighing as she glanced at her baby girl.

"And the boy?" Xibalba glanced at his grandson, noticing his draconic traits.

"Well..."

"We kind of haven't thought about it…" Juan Carlos blushed sheepishly.

"How about..." La Muerte thought of a small name she had heard once. "… Kyroc?"

"He does look a Kyroc…" Zipacna commented.

Marigold smiled as she kissed her son's forehead, making him shift in his sleep. "Kyroc it is, then…"

Hugo caught a glimpse of his nephews and tried to reach out for them, holding out a hand to try and touch Kyroc, making Xibalba chuckle fondly. La Muerte noticed.

"I see you're not so uncomfortable with Hugo anymore…"

Xibalba blushed. "Well, let's say we had a little quality time together."

A new phase in their lives had just begun.


End file.
